Reds outfielder Griffey rises above steroids cloud, By: Hal Bodley
Three hours before game time and Ken Griffey Jr. is at peace with himself. Clad in red shorts and shirt on the scorching afternoon, he sits in the Cincinnati Reds dugout his eyes bright as he follows fly ball after fly ball screaming into the outfield.
While Barry Bonds approaches Hank Aaron's career home run record and Sammy Sosa celebrates No. 600, both under the dark clouds of steroid allegations, Junior Griffey is refreshing. There's never been a hint he's used performance-enhancing chemicals.
And maybe because of that he gets little attention these days — or appreciation — for his accomplishments and great talent.
He entered Thursday night 16 homers shy of 600 and you have to wonder where he'd be if injuries hadn't kept him out of 435 games during his first seven years with Cincinnati. He averaged 52 homers and 142 RBI in his last four seasons in Seattle.
"I don't concern myself with what-if," he says before a game this week against Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park. "I've had a little bad luck, but you have to look at the alternative. This is not bad luck. I still get to do what I do and that's play baseball. There are some people who can't enjoy what they love to do."
He adds, "If I'd been messing around, doing something stupid and got hurt then you could say, 'what if.' "
Look Junior straight in the eye, and I believe him when he says he's never considered steroids. As a journalist you can never be 100% certain, but there's no reason to doubt him.
The "clean" reputation makes him feel good, especially when fans bring it up, praising him over say a Mark McGwire, Sosa or Bonds.
"When I go out to eat people often say how much they appreciate what I've done," he relates. "They might say, 'Sorry about the injuries, but we appreciate how you've been able to stay out of the cloud and just go out there and be yourself.' "
Junior is 37 now. The years have been a blur since he was a raw 19 year old breaking into the Mariners outfield — an enormous talent with an infectious smile who wore his baseball cap backward.
There was a time when he was the most likely to shatter Aaron's record of 755 homers. Injuries have deprived Griffey of that possibility but not a worthy legacy of playing baseball the right way.
That's the way his father, Ken Sr., did it. Learn the fundamentals, the little things, have a passion for your work and regardless, put forth the effort.
Two home runs during an emotional homecoming in Seattle last weekend moved Griffey past McGwire into seventh place on the all-time list. With three more, he'll pass Hall of Famer Frank Robinson and take over sixth place.
All those above Junior have at least 600.
"You guys (media) look forward to it more than I do," says Griffey. "I can't focus on 600. You guys are always predicting things and throwing out numbers to get people interested. I have worry about today's game. If I hit one out, I hit it out. If I don't, I don't.
"I had a dad who played and he didn't really care about numbers. That's what I teach my son now. I could care less about numbers. I just want effort. If there's no effort, I have a problem."
He's played this season virtually free of injuries, producing impressive numbers with the Reds, whose 30-48 record entering Thursday was the worst in the majors. Junior was batting .293, with 21 homers and 49 RBI.
"Over time, I've learned not to take anything for granted," he says. "Every day you put on the uniform, it's one more day closer to your last. This game doesn't last forever, so you have to have fun and enjoy yourself while you can."
Griffey is almost certain to be in San Francisco on July 10th for the All-Star Game, his 13th, but only third since coming to the Reds.
After that it's only natural to wonder if Griffey will be the subject of trade talks the deadline approaches on July 31. Cincinnati is having a dreadful season, and Griffey has one year remaining on his contract at a reasonable $12.5 million.
He said during the three games in Seattle — his first return there since being traded to the Reds after the 1999 season — he'd like to end his career there.
"As far as trades there's nothing I can do," he says. "As an athlete you always want to retire with the team you started with. I'm no different than anyone else, but that's not something I can control."
When baseball is over he jokes he'll become "a professional vacationist," but deep down he's always had a desire to be an architect.
"I want to design houses; I've already designed two," he says.
There's a cold stare when I ask what he'd like his legacy to be.
"That throughout everything he's gone through he never gave up," he finally says.
